The View From Europe
Europe has created the conditions for the perfect economic storm in the Caribbean On November 24, Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer (Finance Minister), Alistair Darling, proposed increasing a tax that already impacts negatively the Caribbean and other tourism destinations. He did so ostensibly in the name of protecting the environment, regardless of the effect on [...]
The View From Europe
Cariforum nations should follow Jamaica’s initiative in relation to Cuba On December 8 in Santiago de Cuba, Caribbean heads of government and representatives of a range of regional institutions will gather for the third Cuba-Caricom Summit. The timing and outcome of this meeting is important for both Caricom and Cuba. The summit will focus on a [...]
The View from Europe
The Caribbean is heading for a severe economic contraction (Executive Director of the Caribbean Council for Europe) Slowly, ever so slowly the Caribbean is coming to recognise that it is far from immune from the global economic crisis. As developed and emerging markets accept that the world is headed for a severe recession with far [...]
The View From Europe
The outlook for tourism is far from bright As the global economic outlook darkens, the Caribbean tourism industry has begun to look closely at its revenue forecasts and how best to position itself to weather the storm that will affect negatively arrivals from the second quarter of 2009 onwards from all of its main markets. [...]
The View from Europe
The Caribbean and restructuring the global financial system On November 15, the heads of government from the world’s most powerful nations will meet in Washington to discuss how to restructure the global financial system. They will be gathering against a background of the market turmoil that has resulted from unregulated credit ratings agencies overrating sub-prime [...]
The View From Europe
A new US policy towards the Caribbean? By the morning of Wednesday November 5, the world should know who the next President of the United States will be. Barring the unexpected, the polls suggest that Barack Obama will win a historic victory. If he does, his inauguration next January will send a potent and hugely [...]
The View From Europe
Little government, private sector awareness in the region of recession implications Three weeks ago there was an almost tangible sense of fear in Europe. Then families and individuals realised for the first time in their lives that their savings and pensions could disappear if market confidence fell further and shares in banks plummeted to levels [...]
The View From Europe
A fundamental philosophical divide has emerged in the context of the EPA After months of argument and eleventh hour confusion, the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Europe and Cariforum was signed in Barbados on October 15. Guyana did not attend but is believed likely to sign in Brussels sometime before October 31st while Haiti has [...]
The View From Europe
EPA presents moment for leadership In times of crisis nations need leadership. Explaining to ordinary citizens the dangers that the global financial meltdown presents or speaking about why the countries of the Caribbean are signing the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Europe just as global markets are in crisis, mark out leaders with authority. Despite [...]
The View From Europe
The Caribbean needs to engage in a painful debate on ‘development’ “The euphoria of speculators has spawned the anguish of entire peoples… Only decisive action by governments, especially in countries at the heart of the crisis, will be able to control the disorder that has spread through the world’s financial sector, with perverse impacts on [...]
The View From Europe
The institutional arrangements in the EPA are of importance Tucked away towards the end of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) that will be signed shortly between the Caribbean and Europe is a section that deals with what are known as the institutional arrangements. This seemingly dry legal text is in fact of considerable importance, not [...]
The View From Europe
Paying attention to tourism When Caribbean Heads of Government met in Antigua in July they devoted the first business day of their meeting to discussions with representatives from the tourism, hotel and regional airline industries. The meeting was a first and confirmed that Caricom had recognised the importance of the industry, its central place in [...]
The View From europe
A high stakes gamble What should one make of the fiasco over the date of the signing of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Europe? The event, meant to take place in Barbados on September 2, has been postponed and the new date hangs on a meeting there of Caribbean Heads of Government on September [...]
The View From Europe
The collapse of the WTO ministerial leaves the Caribbean in limbo Set in a park with views across Lake Geneva to the snow-capped Alps, the elegant 1920s building that houses the World Trade Organisation is an unlikely, almost surreal setting for the intense multi-dimensional power play over global trade that ended suddenly last Tuesday afternoon [...]